It’s official, Jon Lester will throw the first pitch of the 2015 baseball season. Joe Maddon removed any doubt Monday who he would be giving the ball to on Opening Night, April 5 against the Cardinals at Wrigley Field. Maddon officially named Lester his Opening Night starter. Maddon also confirmed that Kyle Hendricks is basically […]

The Cubs begin play in the Cactus League on Thursday with a split squad day. And on Monday, Joe Maddon announced his starting rotation for the first six exhibition games. Travis Wood (A’s) and Jacob Turner (Giants) get the Cactus League openers on Thursday. And Wood will oppose fellow lefty Barry Zito at Sloan Park. Jon […]

Countdown to Pitchers and Catchers Reporting to Mesa: 8 days Mike Olt has already reported to the Cubs’ facility and he’s eager to apply the lessons he learned last year according to a report from Carrie Muskat. Olt showed the power that made him an untouchable prospect a couple of years ago. Olt smacked 12 […]

Thanks to an off-season spending spree aimed largely at the starting rotation, there’s a lot of buzz surrounding the Cubs pitchers. Improvement was necessary to a group that saw 13 pitchers make a start and compile a 4.11 ERA and 1.31 WHIP. Let’s take a look at some of the stories for Spring Training and […]

With James Shields agreeing to terms with the Padres on a four-year deal, a little look to the future seemed appropriate for a Monday. Until last year, the face of the Cubs was President of Baseball Operations Theo Epstein. As Anthony Rizzo started turning his season around and after the little fracas in Cincinnati, the […]

Cubs’ pitching coach Chris Bosio joined Bruce Levine and Wayne Randazzo during Saturday’s Inside the Clubhouse (670 The Score) to discuss his staff before Spring Training begins. Chris Bosio tells it the way it is. Bosio has produced results during his three seasons with the Cubs. And the front office values the pitching infrastructure of Chris […]

Updated 6:28pm CST – According to multiple reports, the Padres have given James Shields their last and final offer. The Padres want to sign Shields and are still considered the favorites. San Diego has been told they are not the only team Shields is talking to. Other teams are “heavily involved in the bidding.” One […]

John Baker spent last season in the Cubs dugout after making the team out of Spring Training. Baker provided a memorable ending to the longest game in franchise history. Not only was Baker the winning pitcher in a 4-3 victory over the Rockies after tossing a scoreless 16th inning, Baker scored the winning on a Starlin […]

Jake Arrieta joined Steve Phillips and Todd Hollandsworth during The Leadoff Spot (MLB Network Radio) the Wednesday before the Cubs Convention. Jake Arrieta is looking to follow up his break though season in the Cubs revamped rotation. Arrieta was very good a year ago for a last place team after spending the first month of […]

Edwin Jackson’s status with the team and possible role for the upcoming season will be two of the countless questions the front office will be asked during the convention, by both the fan base and the media. Theo Epstein and Jed Hoyer said last fall that Edwin Jackson would have to earn a spot on […]